I Got Caught In A Storm... And Now I'm Stuck In Naruto!?!?

Chasing The Sand Ninja

Naruto, Sakura, Shikamaru and I raced through the trees, Pakkun leading us. I bit my lip unsurely.

Sasuke... I hope he's okay.

"This way!" Pakkun shouted, and after a nod of approval from me, the four of us followed him.

Ugh... Why'd Kakashi-sensei chose ME to lead!? I don't do well under pressure! And I have this really bad feeling that things are gonna get worse...

"All of you! Hurry!" Pakkun insisted.

"Wha... Why!?" Sakura exclaimed.

"Because we've got 8... No, 9 shinobi on our tails! They don't know our exact position... But they're gaining on us and guarding against ambush!" He said. And... I rest my case. This is just flipping amazing!

"Err... Then why can't we just ambush them!?" Naruto asked.

"An ambush won't work! They're minions of Orochimaru!" I said, sighing in defeat. This mission just became ten times harder than it originally was.

"Exactly... We might've had the upper hand against different foes, but not here! In order to ambush, we need to locate our enemy and to find successful hiding spots. This is our village, so we know just what to do... But so do our foes! Orochimaru was once a Konoha ninja, and he's prepared them all for this attack! They know everything about the village terrain that we do!" Shikamaru explained for me.

"Plus... Our group is nothing compared to them. They're probably all Chunin level, each designed especially for pursuit, while our group consists of a dog... A dunce... A useless kunoichi... And me, the number one slacker!" He finished. Giggle... I'm sorry, but it took everything I had to not die of laughter when he called Sakura useless. Because... Well, it was really, really true.

"But hey... What about me!? I feel neglected," I said, pouting.

"No... You're the only one with real talent, so you don't count. But not even you can defeat nine sound ninja and come out uscathed. Besides, you're our mission leader. You need to continue on to give orders," He said.

"Oh... Well, actually, there is one way to stop our followers..." I said. This idea I was about to suggest... It was a very bad one. But we had no other choice. And... And I'd be the one who took the job, anyway.

"What is it?" Naruto asked, he blue eyes hopeful.

"One of us... Needs to stay behind... In order to delay them," I said with a distant look on my face.

"So... One of us... Needs to serve as a decoy?" Sakura asked, eyeing me oddly.

I nodded. "Whoever stays behind will be able to get the enemy off our backs... While the rest of the group proceeds on and gets to Sasuke. However... Whoever serves as the decoy... They'll... They'll most likely... Die," I said, closing my eyes. I already knew how broken their faces were without even looking.

"Right. We need our dog to find Sasuke, so..." Shikamaru began.

"All right. I'll-"

"I'm the only choice," Shikamaru interrupted Naruto, making the blonde's eyes widen.

However, I was the first to flip out. "What!? No! I'm the leader of this team! Your lives are in my hands! I'm NOT letting any of you stay behind! I'll be the decoy!" I protested.

"No, Minxie... It's me. I'm the only one of us... Who has the possibility of surviving the decoy act. The Shadow Possession jutsu is used for detainment, anyway... Plus, you're our leader. Like I said before, we need you to give out the orders," He said, looking me directly in the eyes. "And..."